Summary

Esperanza, Nenny, Lucy, and Rachel are discussing hips and laughing. They bring all of the definitions of hips to the table. They joke that women suddenly wake up one day with these bony hips on their bodies, not knowing what to do with them. Rachel thinks they are used to hold babies while cooking, and Lucy believes they are needed to dance. Nenny says that if you do not get hips, you turn into a man. Everyone laughs at her, but Esperanza feels for her sister, despite her youth and naiveté. Esperanza remembers what Alicia tells her about hips and claims that they are scientifically designed for having babies. "They bloom like roses, I continue because it's obvious I'm the only who can speak with any authority; I have science on my side. The bones just one day open. Just like that. One day you might decide...